AS WE ENTER the "age of casualness" the article by Kanzler and Gorsulowsky1 in this issue of the ARCHIVES is particularly timely. They conducted a survey of 84 patients from a private practice setting and 191 from a county hospital clinic asking specific questions regarding physician appearance. The results clearly demonstrate a patient preference for physicians and their staff to dress in what some would call a "professional manner." This study thus confirms others of a similar nature conducted 2 decades ago.